Apparatus for method of pumping hydrocarbon liquids



y 937.- W. N. GLAB 2,080,706

APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PUMPING HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS Filed March 2, i956 IH l l l V E7 I U fimmfwm Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PUMPING HYDRQGARBON LIQUIDS William N. Glab,'D buque, Iowa, assignor to Morrison Brothers Company, Dubuque, Iowa,-

a corporation of Iowa Application March 2, 1936,- S erial No. 66,561 2 Claims. (o1. rea m) The present invention relatesto apparatus for use in pumping volatile liquids such as hydrocarbons and the like, said apparatus enabling the practice oi the herein described novel method.

In the ordinary unloading rack for pumping gasoline from a tank car, it is the present practice to pump the gasoline from the bottom of the car. Under these conditions the gasoline from the top of the car, which is naturally the lightest and the warmest, is therefore the last to be pumped, and is given the longest pull. As a consequence, this heated gasoline, which is almost a vapor, is pulled apart and it becomes very, diflicult if not impossible to completely pump out the car. The above method is manifestly inefii cient and results in the waste of a large amount of gasoline which might be saved by the utilization of my improved apparatus and method.

In its broad concept, the present invention contemplates a double valve arrangement which may be controlled from the exterior of the tank. By closing one side, the gasoline from-the top is unloaded first. After approximately one-half of the car has been unloaded, the other side of the valve is closed and the remainder of the gasoline is taken from the bottom of the car.

To this end, a principal object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for the pumping of volatile liquids, -whereby the pumping may be accomplished with greater efficiency than is now possible with the apparatus now being used.

A further object is to provide a valve arrangement with connections permitting the lighter por- 0 tion of 'a volatile liquid in a container to be pumped before the heavier portion thereof is pumped.

A further object is to provide a pumping arrangement 'for pumping liquid from a container,

which includes a plurality of selectable inlets,

whereby the liquid may be selectively pumped from different levels of the liquid.

It is also an dbject to provide an improved method of pumping a volatile liquid from a container, whereby the waste of ii uid as in the pres-' ent method is substantially eli inatedf Other objects and {eatures of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a single embodiment thereof, and in which: 7

Figure 1 illustrates a sectional View of a conventional tank car having the apparatus of the herein described invention installed therein and by means of which the fluidwithin the tank car of spaced pads or feet 21.

may be pumped in accordance with the novel method of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the details of the valve mechanism of my invention, together with the connections to the valve. 5

As shown on the drawing:

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, there is shown in Fig. 1 a cross section through a conventional tank car l0 which is provided with the conventional type of dome ll having a top entrance.

The usual type of overhead unloading rack for pumping the volatile fluid from the tank car comprises a' system of piping having a swing joint to which there is-connected a pipe swing arm as shown at l2. This arm in the usual installation is coupled by means of a wrench coupling as shown at I3 which may be manually operated to connect" the swing arm to the suction pipe M. The suction pipe is the pipe which extends through the dome entrance into the interior of the tank car and is as a rule of suflicient length to extend to the bottom of the tank. I

In the present invention, instead of terminating the suction pipe at the bottom of the tank car, this pipe is connected into a valve mechanism l 5 which is operable through'an extension operating rod l6, this rod being; positioned parallel to the suction pipe and supported in guide brackets IT on the suction pipe. The rod 46 is of sufiicient length to extend through the dome entrance and a hand wheel I8 is secured to its outer'end for manual operation of the valve.

I As moreclearly shown in Figure 2, the valve l5 consists of a body portion I!) which defines the valve chamber 20. m i

Communicating'with this valve chamber is an upwardly disposed inlet opening 2| which is internally threaded forreceiving a threaded end of a tubular inlet extension 22. Directly opposite the inlet opening 2| is a second inlet opening-23, the upper surface of which adjacent the opening forms a valve seat. The valve body at this inlet opening is extended to form an externally threaded tubular connection 24, which in this case is threadedly connected to a bell-shaped sitrainer fitting 25. This fitting is provided at its fla red ehd with a strainer 26 for straining theente'ring fluid. In order that this strainer may be spaced above the bottom of the tank arid to prevent closing the opening to the strainer fitting, the fitting is provided around its lower peri cry with a series At substantially right angles to the inlet opening's 2i and 23 is a lateral outlet opening 28, and 55 the valve body is formed outwardly from the outletopening in the shape of an L which is internally threaded at 29 to receive a pipe connection, in thi; case the lower end of the suction pipe l4.

The extension fitting 22 has an internal bridge 30 which is internally threaded at its central portion to form a nut for receiving a valve actuating screw 3| which extends longitudinally through the tubular extension 22.

Intermediate the ends of this fitting is an outwardlyextending peripheral flange portion 32 adapted to abut one side of a gasket 33 which is disposed between the flange 32 and the associated side of the valve body surrounding the inlet opening 2|, whereby the joint between the extension fitting '22 and the valve body is sealed.

The uppermost end of the extension fitting 22 is internally threaded as shown at 34 for threadedly engaging one end of a pipe 35, this pipe extending around the valve operating mechanism, the rod 16 being connected to the screw portion by a coupling 36.

The lowermost end of the fitting 22 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 31 which strengthens the lowermost end of the fitting.

Moreover the lowermost end of the fitting is shaped to define a valve seat 38.

In the valve chamber 20 is a valve member 39 which is provided with a central socket 40 opening onto the upper surface of the valve member and threaded to receive a-bushing 4| by means of which the valve member is swivelly connected to the lowermost end of the operating screw 3|, the lowermost end being provided with a head portion 42 sothat when the bushing is screwed into place, the head 42 is disposed within the socket 40 and the valve member thereby secured against removal from the operating screw.

The upper surface 4 of the valve member, when the valve is m ed upwardly will engage the seating surface 38 of the uppermost inlet opening, thereby closing this inlet to the chamber 20.

The undersurface of the valve member 39 is provided with a peripheral groove 44 which defines a seating surface 45 adapted to engage the seat at the lowermost inlet opening, when the valve member 39 is actuated downwardly. This action opens the upper inlet opening and closes the lowermost inlet opening so that the inlet of fluid must be through the uppermost inlet open- The extensionpipe 35 as shown in Figure 1 terminates at its upper end at approximately-the mid-portion of the fluid within tank car "I. By manually manipulating the valve wheel l8, it will be evident that the valve member 39 may be moved so as to selectively close either the uppermost-or lowermost inlet opening. In practice, the hand wheel l8 would be moved to bring the valve 39 into a position closing the lowermost inlet so that the inlet would be at a point midway of the liquid in the tank car. This liquid being the lightest is pumped first and as soon as the liquid in the car has been drawn to the top of pipe 35, the wheel I 8 is then manipulated to close the uppermost inlet an open the bottom or lowermost opening. The pumping then continues lighter liquid, which is almost a vapor, with a small pull, and thereafter continuing to empty the car of the heavier liquid by pumping from the bottom of the car; and in which the operative parts of the valve and control mechanism are conveniently located so as to enable control of the selectivity of the pumping inlet from the exterior of the tank car.

It is of course to be understood that although I have described in detail the preferred embodiment of my invention, the invention is not to be thus limited, but only insofar as defined by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

.1. As an article of manufacture, suction means for unloading a tank car or the like having a top entrance opening and adapted to be removably inserted as a unit into the tank through its entrance opening, a main suction conduit of such length as to extend from the bottom of the tank through the entrance opening to the exterior thereof, a second relatively shorter conduit supported on the main conduit in parallel relation, a communicative connection'between the insertable end of the main conduit and a point intermediate the ends of the second conduit, a valve for selectively establishing intake through one or the other ends-of the second conduit, and a movable valve actuating rod supported on and outside the main conduit of sufficient length to extend to the exterior of the tank, when said means are disposed in operative position in the tank.

2. Apparatus for use in removing a liquid from a tank having a top entrance opening, said apparatus comprising a main suction conduit ar ranged to extendsubstantially vertically through said opening with its upper end outside the tank audits lowermost end adjacent the bottom of the'tank, a housing .at the lowermost end of said conduit having adjacently disposed inlet and outlet top openings and a bottom inlet opening in axial alignment with the top'inlet opening, means connecting the lowermost end of the main conduit with the outlet top Opening, a relatively short conduit connected to the top inlet opening and extending parallel to the main conduit, a valve supported in the housing for selective movement to close one or the other ofthe inlet openings, a rotatably mounted valve operating rod having a threaded portion operatively associated with a stationary nut, said rod extending axially through the short conduit and through the entrance opening of the tank in parallelrelation to the main conduit with its uppermost end outside the tank, and a bracket for supporting said rod from the main conduit.

WILLIAM N. GLAB. 

